Lawsuit: Sony Agrees To Pay Playstation Owners Millions

People make their way past the Playstation section during the 2016 Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) annual video game conference and show on June 14, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. / AFP / FREDERIC J. BROWN

It took six years, but
Sony has agreed to pay PS3 owners for a 2010 firmware update that removed the console's ability to run the Linux operating system.

Ars Technica reports that Sony came to an agreement with lawyers representing PS3 owners on Friday, and that the company will have to pay $55 to anyone that used Linux on the PS3 prior to the firmware update, as well as $9 to anyone that bought an original "fat" PS3 based on the "other OS" feature. In order to get $55, a gamer "must attest under oath to their purchase of the product and installation of Linux, provide proof of their purchase or serial number and PlayStation Network Sign-in ID, and submit some proof of their use of the Other OS functionality."

In order to get $9, a gamer "may attest that he or she lost value and/or desired functionality or was otherwise injured as a consequence of Firmware Update 3.21 issued on April 1, 2010."

It means that the final payout total will be dependent on how many users take advantage of the opportunity, but Ars Technica says that Sony is expected to be paying in the millions. The accord says that there were about 10 million original PS3s sold at the time, so that's theoretically the number of gamers that could come forward. But it was a long time ago, not everyone installed Linux, not everyone will be aware of the agreement, and not everyone will want to jump through the necessary hoops to get their money.

It was widely believed that Sony removed Linux support over piracy concerns. Sony argued that the "other OS" functionality wasn't that important to many of its users, and that the firmware update was technically optional.

I'm a freelance writer whose work has appeared in The Atlantic, The New York Times, The New Republic, IGN.com, Wired and more. I cover social games, video games, technology and that whole gray area that happens when technology and consumers collide. Google...